With the GST council meeting starting from today, Rahul Gandhi stresses on 18% cap on GST rate

With the GST council meeting starting from today, Rahul Gandhi stresses on 18% cap on GST rate

Congress vice President Rahul Gandhi claimed that the congress party has also wanted the implementation of a similar bill 'that is not only pro industry & pro trade but also non inflationary for common people especially the poor'.

With the implementation of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) bill reaching it’s crucial phase and the three-day GST council meeting starting from today, Congress vice President Rahul Gandhi claimed that the congress party has also wanted the implementation of a similar bill ‘that is not only pro industry & pro trade but also non inflationary for common people especially the poor’.

Over a series of tweets before the GST council meeting, Rahul Gandhi asked the council to maintain the tax rates 18% or lower. “As the GST Council begins its deliberations today I want to stress again that an 18% cap on the GST rate is in everybody’s interest,” the Congress vice president tweeted.

In an effort to bring the GST law in action from April 1 next year, the central government is holding a three day meet to make a deal with state governments and easing it for the bill to get a push in the parliamentary winter session starting from November 1.

A panel headed by Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, had last year decided a standard rates on bulks of goods and services as 17-18 percent. The panel suggested a 12 percent tax on low rate goods and 40 percent on luxury cars, aerated beverages, pan masala and tobacco.

The three days meet headed by finance minister Arun Jaitley will be the third GST council meeting since the central government first proposed it in September. GST bill was proposed by the government in order to put an uniform tax reform on goods and services throughout the country.